Property Crime

Definition

In the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims. The property crime category includes arson because the offense involves the destruction of property; however, arson victims may be subjected to force. Because of limited participation and varying collection procedures by local law enforcement agencies, only limited data are available for arson. Arson statistics are included in trend, clearance, and arrest tables throughout Crime in the United States, but they are not included in any estimated volume data. The arson section in this report provides more information on that offense.

Data collection

The data presented in Crime in the United States reflect the Hierarchy Rule, which requires that only the most serious offense in a multiple-offense criminal incident be counted. In descending order of severity, the violent crimes are murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, followed by the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Although arson is also a property crime, the Hierarchy Rule does not apply to the offense of arson. In cases in which arson occurs in conjunction with another violent or property crime, both crimes are reported.

Overview

In 2013, there were an estimated 8,632,512 property crime offenses in the nation. The 2-year trend showed that property crime declined 4.1 percent in 2013 when compared to the 2012 estimate. The 10-year trend showed that property crime offenses decreased 16.3 percent in 2013 when compared with the 2004 estimate.

In 2013, the rate of property crime was estimated at 2,730.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, a 4.8 percent decrease when compared with the 2012 estimated rate. The 2013 property crime rate was 10.2 percent less than the 2009 estimate and 22.3 percent less than the 2004 estimate. (See Tables 1 and 1A.)